A BRITISH GARDEN
Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12
Do you remember, God says, five years ago
you took home a handful of earth,
not just any old earth but a handful of earth from many countries
blessed and missioned by your sisters?
You scattered it in your British gardens and it enriched their soil.
I really like British gardens, God says.
Sometimes they are carefully planned,
sometimes a bit wild and sometimes a bit of both.
(To be honest I quite like the wild gardens, the unpredictable gardens, full of surprises, God says.)
Of all my gardens in the world,
that’s where I like to take a quiet walk in the evening
among the flowers and shrubs, the trees and hedges.
True, there are more exotic gardens in my world,
more colourful, maybe, and I like them too,
but the British garden in the evening….
well…that’s where you’ll often find me.
(Don’t get me wrong, I can also be found in those other gardens,
after all, I give them life, I look after them and I am quite a good gardener.)
Do you realise that the greatest events in your short, earth history happened in a garden?
(There’s Eden, Gethsemane, the Easter garden and Loos. We must get together and talk about these sometime!)
Today, I am walking in my British garden, God says.
and I have seen it face the changes of the seasons,
the hardness of the ground sometimes, where it is difficult to make things grow.
I have seen vigorous plants diminish and die and disappear from view,
but I remember them and have gathered them to myself and I still look after them.
They have names like Margaret, Mary David, Cecilia, Teresa Mary, Grace, Gemma,
Bede, Mary Joseph, Eileen Mary.
Two of the great ancient trees in this garden finished their life span
and were grafted onto new trees which continue to flourish and bear new fruit.
The 129 year old tree called Holy Rood, London, lives on in three new trees growing near its roots.
The 95 year old tree called Portsmouth still spreads its seeds near and far.
Even I have difficulty keeping track of the effects of the fruit of these trees, God says.
(Of course, they still live on, attached to that great Paris tree with its branches reaching out across the world and beyond.)
No plant, no tree is ever solitary, God says.
It may stand alone but it depends on many elements to keep it alive and healthy.
You know this very well,
Whether your garden is large with many varieties of flowers, fruit or vegetables
or if you only have an aloe plant in a pot on your window sill,
they must be rooted in well-prepared soil, fertilised and cross fertilised.
We can spread dung or let the bees pollinate.
Cross-fertilisation and new seeds from other countries
give life and colour to the plants.
This British garden has welcomed such cross-fertilisation from France, Spain, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Quebec, Romania and Italy.
And the garden’s seeds have been carried off on the wind to India, Japan, France,
Belgium, Quebec, the United States and Hong Kong.
They can also be transplanted when they are in the wrong place,
because some need sun, some need shade, some need moisture,
some need to be kept dry,
some need the best possible soil to grow, others push though rocks and concrete.
A discerning gardener can see where a plant is happy by seeing how it grows.
The flower beds hold a variety of colours. Sometimes flowers of a particular species blend together. Their colours are different but they share the same origins.
And sometimes a flower will bloom beautifully on its own but it is not really alone.
It is different, but it shares the same soil,
the same preparation, the same desire to grow.
In the British garden some flowers bloom alone
but deeply rooted in the same prepared soil
as the other flowers, plants and trees in the garden.
They share the same seasons:
the little death of autumn, the cold hand of winter, the soft rains of spring
and the full colour of summer.
They have to contend with the same weeds trying to choke their growth,
the bugs that gnaw at their roots, the fear of being trampled on or being crushed by bigger plants or being pulled from the ground while still growing.
Fortunately, I am around to look after them, God says.
I know them all and I love them all.
This garden is a celebration of life, God says.
It uplifts the spirit, gives hope, encourages, feeds and supports.
and it enters the mind of many as a thing of beauty, a memory forever.
The British garden has celebrated its roots,
recalling 100 years of growth in Edinburgh
and 150 years of growth rooted in Paris.
People came and talked about the garden,
recalled precious memories of its past beauty and applauded its present form
and pledged themselves to continue the celebration
by working in it and spreading the good news
that, although smaller than before
it still blooms as a sign of ongoing loving and caring,
a paschal sign of life, of death and life again.
This garden attracts the disadvantaged, the marginalised,
those who live poverty in its many forms.
It offers a pathway to those seeking renewed life,
a haven for those who want to put down new roots and grow in peace
far from the terror of being crushed.
My Son feels at home here among these 28 plants
growing in different areas of this garden,
each developing at its own pace, each adding to the beauty of the whole,
planted in the same soil, warmed by the same sun and watered by the same rain,
together,
a thing of beauty and inspiration in a world torn by the ravages of destruction and stunted growth;
a garden called to offer shelter, shade and encouragement to all who come by, God says,
and for being there when I take a walk in the evening.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61:10-11
